May 22, 2018 Damascus Is Secured, Daraa Is NextTue May 22, 2018 22:02 | Scotthttps://southfront.org/syrian-war-rep... Late on May 21, Russian air defense systems, allegedly a Pantsir-S short to medium range system, launched at least four missiles at ?unidentified? targets over the Khmeimim air base

The trial of two Mayo men accused of violent disorder and damaging property at the Shell Corrib gas project tunneling site in June 2013 continues in Castlebar circuit court.
On Friday four Shell security guards gave evidence to the court and were cross examined by the defence.

Call Out:
Come to the Rossport Solidarity Camp, Pullathomas, Co. Mayo for a week of action in June against Shell’s Corrib Gas Project. This week has been called to coincide with one of Shell’s busiest work times. Come to act in solidarity with the 13 year old campaign in Mayo against Shell’s Corrib Gas Project. The week will be jam packed with a wide variety of actions! There will be something useful for everyone to do, regardless of your experience and skills. The Rossport Solidarity Camp is being erected specifically for this week, and will be taken back down when the week is completed. So if you are planning on traveling to Mayo this summer – make it this week!

An insight into prison life in Ireland, namely Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon.

On 21st April 2010 I was convicted of assaulting a number of Gardaí in relation to Shell to Sea protests and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment. Remission for good behaviour means that prisoners will have their sentences reduced by a quarter, once you keep your nose clean. I was given credit for 2 weeks time served previously in 2009, before I was bailed out pending my appeal.

So I spent 4 months in jail from April to August in the summer of 2010.

ED NOTE: Niall Harnett 2013 [R.I.P]. I have pinned Niall Harnett's feature article as a tribute to a great activist and a great person. You will be sorely missed Niall!

Barrister Leo Mulrooney to ex-Sgt James Gill: “Complete the now well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “Ex-Sgt James Gill : “I don't understand the question”Barrister Leo Mulrooney:“Do you know what I'm referring to when I say those words”Ex-Sgt James Gill: “No”Leo Mulrooney: - “'Give me your name and address or ...' “Judge Margaret Heneghan interrupts: “He said 'No', next question”

Last Friday saw retired Sgt James Gill awarded €33,000 plus legal costs by Judge Margaret Heneghan for a defamation case that he took against prominent Shell to Sea campaigner Pat O'Donnell. Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell accused him at a protest at Bellanaboy on November 3rd 2006, while other protesters and gardaí were in the area, of stealing diesel and smuggling tyres across the border. Mr O'Donnell denied saying those comments to Gill but the Judge believe the word of Gill and made the award.

However James Gill is also the Garda with probably the longest and most involved history of any of the Gardaí that have policed the Corrib Gas Project. He sat on the Shell's Project Monitoring Committee for 5 years, his brother's scaffolding firm AGS was employed by Shell and I have personally witnessed him viciously assault campaigners on a number of occasions. I wish that I didn't feel the need to write this negative article about a Garda who doesn't police for Shell anymore, but that thisman's good name was valued at €33,000 is an absolute disgrace.

What happened in
Court

Last Wednesday saw the hearing of
the case. In the case Mr Gill claimed that Mr O'Donnell had accused him of being a thief but this was denied by Mr O'Donnell. Mr O'Donnell said that on the morning in question he had engaged in banter with other protesters and had referenced diesel which had been stolen from him previously in 97 or 98. Mr O'Donnell claimed that he had said that it's easier for people to steal diesel because all the Gardaí were up protecting Shell. He also said that he had said that the Gardaí uphold the law one day and break it the next, referring to the fact that the Gardaí were being well-behaved that day as there was politicians present but that other days they would beat up the protestors. Mr O'Donnell denied that any of this was directed at Mr Gill specifically.

In evidence Mr Gill stated that after Mr O'Donnell had made the comments that other protesters began making similar comments and that this has caused him a lot of stress. He felt that his credibility had been undermined, and that the comments would “sully his reputation” and felt it would hurt his children,“if their father was named a thief”. He stated that a gastric ulcer which he had had previously had been exasperated as a result of the comments and that he ended up with symptoms of Post traumatic stress disorder.

Under cross-examination from Mr O'Donnell barrister Leo Mulrooney, Mr Gill stated that this defamation case was not about money, that it was about his reputation. Twice in his cross-examination Mr Mulrooney attempted to introduce element of the infamous 'rape-tape', of which Mr Gill was the main player. First of all Mr Mulrooney attempted to ask Mr Gillif he had ever had discussions with other Gardaí on how to present evidence in court. This was a rather obscure reference to the 'rape-tape', which only someone who had listened to the 'rape-tape' would have seen where it was going. However obviously Judge Heneghan had done her homework, immediately shutting down that line of questioning saying that only relevant matters were to be discussed.

For his second attempt later on, Mr Mulrooney tried a more direct approach asking Mr Gill to complete the well-known phrase 'Give me your name and address or I'll...' “. However Mr Gill feigned ignorance and in a most blatant lie stated that he didn't know what Mr Mulrooney was talking about. Mr Mulrooney then asked if Mr Gill was serious that he didn't know what was being spoken about seeing as it had been front page news for a week and had been raised in the Dáil a number of times. At this Mr Gill's barrister Seamus Ruane jumped to his feet objecting, stating that if Mr Mulrooney was referring to the events of the 31stof March then they had no relevance to the case that was being tried. Mr Mulrooney argued that the subject being spoken about was of absolute relevance in ascertaining Mr Gill's good reputation.

Friday 25th November saw over 5 hours of Shell's peat and stone haulage completely blocked by campaigners, and no arrests were made. First thing in the morning four campaigners had trucks blocked for over an hour and a half, and later on one person climbed on top of a peat truck outside Shell's Bellanaboy refinery, remaining there for 3 and a half hours stopping all haulage.

This morning's sitting of Castlebar Court today was adjourned just before midday as members of Integrity Ireland requested to place Judge Kevin Kilrane and prosecuting Superintendent Joe McKenna under citizens’ arrest.

Stephen Manning and Colm Granahan both of Integrity Ireland had been taking a private criminal prosecution of County Registrar Fintan Murphy. The Garda Sergeant who starred in an I-I all-action video clip in March had also been summoned to appear as a witness - for the prosecution.

On Friday the 11th July, people started gathering for the art weekend in which murals and new campaign banner and signs were prepared. Straight away work on the house with the mural “The struggle goes on” was started along with the sign on the roof which reads “Strength in Community”.

Saturday wasn’t suitable for outside work so after a fair while designing what the signs should say, work commenced at a shed which we were kindly given the use of for the weekend.

On Wednesday 9th July, 6 Corrib campaigners appeared in Belmullet District court to answer charges as a result of their opposition to Shell. While the following Friday John Monaghan appeared in Castlebar Circuit Court, where he was appealing a conviction of obstruction and careless driving outside Shell's Aughoose compound.

Almost two years after Shell smuggled their Tunnel Boring Machine out of Dublin port in the middle of the night, and then spent 3 days meeting resistance across the country before getting stuck in the bog, they removed it from Erris Monday night.

To: Former participants/members of the Rossport Solidarity Camp, potential future volunteers, all who wish to work in solidarity for social, environmental and economic justice in the struggle against the Shell Corrib Gas Project.

We invite you to a meeting to review the current status of the solidarity movement and discuss how we can best continue our work into the future.

Recently appointed Judge Faughnan presided over this month's district court session at Belmullet. Two Shell to Sea related cases were finalised resulting in one campaigner avoiding conviction by receiving the benefit of the probation act and another - local Shell to Sea spokesperson Terence Conway - being convicted and fined E200.
When the Belmullet District court session opened on Wednesday morning there were seven campaigners due to appear in court on charges arising from the ongoing imposition of, and protest against, the Shell Corrib gas project in North West Mayo.
Shell Santa also made an appearance at court bearing gives of alcohol but the Gardaí didn't seem too happy for him to visit them in such a public setting.

Last Saturday week (23rd Nov) in Inver Community Hall, the 2013 Peoples' Forum was held entitled "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who Polices the Police?.

The speakers at the event were Clare Daly TD and Mick Wallace TD, who spoke about the recent penalty points controversy and efforts to reform policing accountability. While Hilary D'Arcy who is doing a doctorate in policing focusing on Corrib spoke on policy accountability and politicisation of the police force and argued that increases in police accountability mainly arise from pressure from social movements. The days events were chaired by Sue Gogan

Judge Denis McLoughlin presided over yesterdays monthly sitting of Belmullet district court. Amongst the defendants were 5 people up on charges because of their opposition to the Shell Corrib gas project. Of the Shell related cases only one was heard, resulting in John Monaghan being convicted and fined E350 and disqualified from driving for one year. Of particular note in this case was that some of the evidence that was used to convict Mr Monaghan, came from Sgt Dermot Butler, who was one of the named Gardaí that a former Shell subcontractor claimed helped to transfer the alcohol that he delivered to Belmullet Garda station on behalf of Shell. Also of particular note was that one IRMS security guard also confirmed that IRMS had a practice of profiling certain members of the local community and other campaigners.

The controversial Shell Corrib gas pipeline project in Co Mayo has suffered a "major" setback after the Commercial Court today granted an order quashing the revised licence issued for the Shell gas terminal at Ballinaboy.

It appears to be a convenient coincidence for shell that this revised licence granted just as this years offshore work began, and was quashed just as the offshore work was complete!

How many times will U.S. elected Representatives of the U.S. House and Senate have to kiss Israel’s ass, and in how many ways, before “our” country will build a true national security team—that is one actually focused on U.S. security and not primarily on Israel’s? It is bad enough when Jewish-Americans politicians (with more substantive allegiance to Israel than the U.S.) like junior Senator Ben Cardin for Maryland, claiming his decision on whether Chuck Hagel will be a good Secretary of Defense resides on whether he is onboard with Israel’s/AIPAC’s agenda of having war with Israel’s enemy Iran (at least as backup force); or NY Senator Chuck Schumer equivocating about not “feeling” comfortable with voting for Hagel because of some of Hagel’s past attitudes; but even more so with suck-ups like Lindsey Graham giving about the best ass-kissing one could expect (to think some confederates once had some principle of pride and independence).

Shell's haulage was repeatedly stopped by protesters from Rossport Solidarity Camp during today’s day of solidarity with the community in Erris under siege from the imposition of the Corrib gas project. There were three actions at different locations along Shell's haulage route between Aughoose and Bangor Erris, which resulted in a significant disruption to the haulage. The actions were also in solidarity with the reclaim the Land action against open cast coal mining in Scotland planned for tomorrow. http://www.indymediascotland.org/node/27202

At the time of the magnitude 4 earthquake detected on the Mayo coast on Wednesday morning, "seismic survey" vessels contracted to Shell E&P Ireland were scheduled to be in the process of using high-energy explosive pulses to probe the deep rock strata within 10-15km of the quake zone.

The ongoing disaster that is Salmon farming both here in Ireland and around the world continues to demonstrate this industry is doing huge damage to the wild salmon and is overall destructive of the ecosystem. Not only that farmed salmon are regularly dosed in deadly toxic chemicals in a desperate effort to keep the sea lice parasites and disease under control and in every case they don't keep any control and the diseases just get more resistant. Salmon are simply not evolved to live in cages in extremely close proximity to tens of thousands of other salmon.

In this report, a letter from Ireland Against Salmon Farms outlines the most recent major salmon farm escape from a salmon farm off Clare Island, Co. Mayo.

This morning, Wednesday 27th July, at 7am, campaigners placed an enormous cement filled barrel or 'lock-on' in the middle of the road between Shell's Ballinaboy refinery and tunnelling compound at Aughoose. Two people are locked on to the barrel and it is expected that it will take the best part of a day before it can be moved. It is now stopping all truck deliveries between the two sites, seriously delaying Shell's work for the third day this week.

Come join us for the June Bank Holiday weekend & celebrate a decade of resistance to Shell’s Corrib gas project…it’s going to be a good family friendly party! You’ve seen The Pipe now come & see this incredible place for yourself. If this is your first time down to Mayo, we warmly welcome you. This event is open to all supporters of the Shell to Sea campaign.